News item | 07-03-2023 | 9:00 am
Bratislava’s iconic Castle will glow orange on Wednesday. During the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to Slovakia, a Dutch business delegation will enter into discussions with future partners. The King will give a speech and the Royal Couple will also join in a few conversations.
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The business delegation of the state visit includes 34 Dutch companies from the waste processing, recycling, soil remediation and circular construction sectors. Hanneke Schuiling, Director General of Foreign Economic Relations, will lead the delegation.
‘From our market scan showed that the opportunities lie in Slovakia in particular and of course in the car industry, says Henriette van Notten, deputy ambassador responsible for trade promotion, among other things.
The state visit literally opens doors. During the so-called Business Forum in the castle, all 34 Dutch companies get their own table at which they receive potential customers or distributors.
Linking the companies is tailor-made: ‘During the intake interview, the companies indicate what they are looking for and we try to make the match, together with a consultant and SARIO, the RVO of Slovakia. The turnout is very high. Slovak companies also find it special to be invited.
In addition to matchmaking, we also organized round table discussions where participants can meet around a theme without having an appointment. That sometimes results in remarkably interesting contacts, including among the Dutch entrepreneurs themselves.’
Intensive trading relationship
Dutch exports to Slovakia – a member of the Eurogroup and Schengen – have been showing an upward trend for years. The Netherlands is one of the largest investors in Slovakia. Major Dutch companies active in the Slovak market are Heineken, ING, Nationale Nederlanden, CTP, Koppert, Neways and Union (a subsidiary of Achmea). Action has recently also established itself in Slovakia with a large distribution center and is now opening its first stores. The Dutch companies together account for more than 4,500 jobs in Slovakia and that number is growing.
The automotive industry as an economic engine
Car manufacturers Volkswagen, Kia, Peugeot-Citroën (Stellantis), Jaguar and Land Rover have large factories in Slovakia. With Volvo’s new investment in a factory for electric cars, Slovakia is taking a new course towards making the car industry more sustainable and there are also opportunities for Dutch companies there. For example, with regard to charging infrastructure and the reuse and recycling of batteries.
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Soil pollution
Soil pollution (mostly from the Soviet era) in Slovakia has long been a cause for concern. Around Bratislava, leakage from a landfill is now leading to groundwater pollution, which also contaminates a drinking water reservoir. The Netherlands has been discussing this with Slovakia for some time.
Minister of the Environment Budaj has recently sent a letter asking for Dutch expertise in the form of the so-called. Dutch Risk Reduction teamconsisting of experts worldwide who are committed to preventing or mitigating water-related disasters.
Representatives of Rijkswaterstaat, Deltares and experts in the field of soil pollution from the Dutch company Tauw will facilitate a workshop on this subject during the state visit to bring the parties closer together. Both the government and local administrators and activists participate in this. A real example of Dutch ‘poldering’, that is still unexplored territory in Slovakia.
Opportunities in circular economy
Slovakia is in the early stages of the circular economy. The country was below the EU average in terms of recycling, but is now catching up. So there are opportunities for companies with advanced recycling solutions, which are now also participating in the mission.
To draw attention to the importance of recycling, the President of Slovakia and the Royal Couple will hand in cans and PET bottles themselves at a deposit return point of a supermarket. The deposit system in Slovakia is ahead of ours again, it is fully data-driven and cans can also be returned. A salient detail is that a Dutchman, Raymond Gianotten, advised the Slovaks, and also helped Heineken to develop it. So there is always cross-pollination.
Hole in the market
BlueCycle, one of the participants in the delegation, is about to acquire land for a production facility to be built in Slovakia. BlueCycle has previously participated in a circular trade mission to Slovakia and then made contact with, among others, OLO – the Bratislava waste processor.
An innovative method will be applied in the production facility that enables the recycling of hard-to-recycle plastics. Plastics that are currently incinerated or landfilled, such as food packaging and foils. These plastics are processed at a high temperature using a thermochemical process into an oil that is then used as a circular raw material for making new plastics.
And there are even more opportunities: ‘We also have the impression that Slovakia could be a good market for providers of trading platforms,’ says Van Notten. ‘For example, there is not yet a database that lists and compares the processing capacities for all material classes, while there is a large amount of construction waste and other waste from the industry. Yes, waste is also just business.’
Due to its high quality standards and well-trained workforce, Slovakia is considered an attractive location for shared service centers. ING Hubs Slovakia is an example of this: it was founded in 2016 and has 1300 employees supporting customers.